Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand welcomed today’s Senate passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, calling it a hard-won and overdue step toward cutting off the oil and gas revenue funding Russia’s war — but warned that the bill’s presidential waiver authority leaves the door open for the very delay and dilution that nearly derailed it.
The bill authorizes steep tariffs on countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, expands sanctions on the Russian “shadow fleet” and financial institutions tied to financing Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine. The bill passed after more than a year of delay, including President Trump’s own push earlier this year to postpone a Senate vote and the White House’s insistence on retaining personal waiver authority over the sanctions before agreeing to support the legislation.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said: “Passing this bill is a hard-won step forward. The truth is the United States can still dry up the money funding this brutal war on my country Ukraine far faster. Every dollar still spent on Russian oil and gas ends up in Putin’s war chest, paying for the missiles and drones killing Ukrainians every day. Congress has shown it has the votes and the will to act. Now Washington needs the resolve to go further: close every loophole, end every waiver, and make sanctions on Russian energy mandatory, not optional. President Trump should sign and implement these tough measures as soon as possible.”
What Razom We Stand is calling for next
- No presidential waivers in practice. The bill’s waiver authority must not become the loophole that lets sanctions go unenforced against Russia’s largest remaining oil and gas buyers.
- Full, immediate enforcement once signed. Passage means nothing without enforcement — sanctions on shadow fleet vessels, financial institutions, and energy buyers must be applied without exception from day one.
- Alignment with allies. The US should coordinate designations and enforcement with the EU and UK, closing the gaps that have let Russian oil and gas keep moving through third countries.
